


motor oil and coconut

by halfasgoodatanything



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Friends, Friends to Lovers, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark at MIT, Jealousy, M/M, Oblivious Tony Stark, POV James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Pining, Rhodey Birthday Celebration Week 2018, cute ok i promise, except only kinda bc steves there too, jealous rhodey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-28 00:25:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16230380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfasgoodatanything/pseuds/halfasgoodatanything
Summary: James loves his best friend. He's entirely supportive of his friendship and his almost relationship with Steve Rogers. He is! He is. Carol and Pepper seem to think otherwise, but he's cool. Loving Tony doesn't mean no one else can. Even if he wanted to.





	motor oil and coconut

Tony’s his best friend.

He is. James loves it when he’s happy, loves it when he gets moments with Tony laughing at some dumb TV show, loves it when he’s wearing James’ sweatshirt, hanging low on his hips.

He loves his time with Tony.

Tony loves his time with Steve.

Steve, the illustration student who goes to the nearby art school, who Tony met in a coffee shop and never _shuts up about._ Steve, who shows up with cooked meals and makes sure Tony eats, as if that isn’t _James’_ job.

And James has no problem with that. Tony deserves good people, lord knows he doesn’t have enough of them in his life. He deserves people like Steve, people who cook meals and fuss over him, people who look at him and see more than a billionaire brat, see the kid who’s kind and bright and _good._

Just. James saw it _first._ That seems important.

Because James is the one who rents Tony’s favorite movies. He’s the one who nursed Tony’s first hangover, the one who made him laugh when he missed his butler, the first person he spoke to when he missed home.

But today he’s with _Steve,_ meeting his friends, probably laughing and flirting with Steve, who’s strong and good and flirting with Tony, and it’s- it’s a lot. James isn’t handling it well.

He comes home at 3 o’clock and James is waiting for him, and touch starved Tony flops down next to him, instantly cuddling into James, and sighs.

“I’ve missed you lately,” Tony says in lieu of a hello, and physically picks up James’ arm and wraps it around his own shoulder. It’s cute.

Not that he likes him like that.

“You’ve been busy,” James replies, pulling him closer in by the neck, trying tom e careful about it but Tony smells like grease and some remnant of a sugary drink and he _missed_ him. He’s been so busy lately.

“You’re the one who keeps going out with Pep and Carol,” Tony yawns, and burrows his face into James’ neck.

His hair smells like motor oil and coconut. He’s so close he wants to scream.

“You can always come with,” he says, warmly and maybe a little too fond for a best friend but he’s _happy_ and good and that kind of Tony is the kind to be cherished.

“Steve keeps wanting me to critique his stuff, doing a lot of mechanical drawings. Says he wants a trained eye.”

Steve.

“Pep’s missed you though,” Pep. Not him. He’s been fine, on Wednesdays that he’s got accustomed to spending watching shitty rom coms with Tony and laughing at it and just, unwinding after a shitty day being replaced with an early night of rest. That’s something he’s fine with. “Carol too.”

Tony’s mouth curls up in that mischievous way (and that’s not endearing, no, not at all) but then he goes shy, kind of quiet, like he’s _flustered_ and that’s, not cute at all. He’s just observing.

“I think Steve likes me, Rhodey.”

Tony had started calling him Rhodey and he in turn Tones, a year and change ago.

Tony was always there in his own way, makes the best coffee in the world and always offers his arms up when he’s had a bad day. Tony loves him in the way he knows how, through saying it a lot and doing as much as he can.

Once, when they’d been drunk, James had told him that his dad worked his whole life, and he always wanted a nice gold watch. Never had one, but always, always wanted one.

The next day, Tony had bought him a Rolex, and said that it didn’t break their “no gifts over $100 rule” because it wasn’t for him.

James doesn’t _like_ him.

James is in _love_ with him.

Tony’s blushing over a strong, smart, blond blue eyed boy who makes him blush and cooks him meals and James- a part of him wants to yell out _I did it first. I loved you first._

“You think?” He says, sarcastically, because of fucking _course_ Steve likes him, he invites Tony over for no reason, spends nights over there. He’s not been subtle.

He’s happy for him. He’s happy for him. He has to be happy for him.

“What do you think?” 

_I’m thinking you should stay here. I’m thinking you made this apartment a home and I don’t know what to do when you leave, and when you move in with an art student who couldn’t love you like I do._

“I think you should go for it."

____________________________________

Before his first date with Steve, Tony asks how he looks.

He looks…perfect. He’s wearing a button done with vertical stripes that ends just a little bit above his midriff, exposing skin, some pants that seems little too fitted but still look comfortable enough. Yellow sunglasses. Grinning and _doe_ eyes.

James has to stop himself from saying exactly _how_ great he looks.

“Glasses might be a bit much, but other than that, you’re good Tones.”

He’s a really good liar.

Tony pats his shoulder out the door and takes most of his heart with him.

____________________________________

“This is ridiculous, James,” Pepper says, legs crossed and ginger hair in a delicate pony tail, sipping a coffee cup and giving him a sympathetic look, her eyes soft and good and he knows why Tony loves her. He does too.

“I can’t,” he says, not meeting her eyes, “He’s on a date. I let it sit too long.”

Pepper stares at him for a second before placing her coffee cup on the table, tapping her fingers on the table in a rhythmic way, her nails tapping almost soothingly.

“James,” she says, her voice soft and kind, “Steve is great. I’ve met him. A blonde, blue eyed dream who looks like he’s out of a catalogue and if I didn’t have Nat I would be doing something about that.”

James thinks of her as less kind, now.

“Your point?” He deadpanned.

“Tony is in love with you.”

“He’s not.”

“He calls you when he’s drunk. He comes home to you. You know all his secrets, and you know how much that is for Tony. For god sake, you knew about _Jarvis_ before any of us. He doesn’t know how to function without you and he’s so scared of losing you he can’t see straight when he thinks about it.”

Silent sits between them for a beat and it’s a heavy weight, knowing that Tony _loved_ him, knowing that he was valued in a way, even if it’s not int he way he craves-

“Steve’s a pretty face. You’re his soulmate. Talk to him.”

___________________________________

Carol talks to him next.

Blonde, beautiful Carol who laughs like summer and has a smile like sunshine and who loves Tony like a brother. He’d been so grateful for that, that she’d seen in Tony something _wonderful_ that sometimes took people a while to see. He’d never understand that.

She’d been less subtle than Pepper, and he’d found it just a little amusing.

“I don’t like Steve.”

James snorts, looking up at her from his book. He didn’t really know how she got in his room but she’s here and honestly, its completely in character for her.

“He’s like if a golden retriever came to life, Carol.”

“Exactly. What’s he gonna do when Tony decided an inventing binge is more important than food for days?”

“Feed him.”

“Not like you do.”

“Does it matter? Does it really matter if Steve’s not good for Tony, or if he is? Tony doesn’t _want_ me. Tony is a genius with a marvel of a mind and a better heart and he’s fucking gorgeous and he thinks he needs me but he _doesn’t,_ not really and with Steve now even more. It doesn’t matter what I want. What matters is what he wants and it’s not me, okay, Carol?”

She’s silent and guilty and her hands have fallen off her hips and-

There’s Tony. In the door way.

He’s going to be sick.

“Rhodey-“

He’s out of the room within the second.

____________________________________

He ends up in the library, in a corner he and Tony only know about. No one is ever there. No one’s there now but him.

Tony knows he loves him. Knows that every time he pulls him close that there’s something more behind it James bets he can connect the dots and see how much he _loves_ him, and will leave the apartment.

Tony’s going to leave him.

He can’t breathe.

And he’s probably just imagining but Tony’s here, in the corner of the library where they studied and fought and ate junk food and James had looked at him a million times and wonder what it’d be like to kiss him.

“Breathe, Rhodey, I got you,” Imaginary Tony says, like a million times he’d done to him when he’s scared and alone and he _loves_ him, loves any version of Tony and if this is the one he gets he’ll savor it.

“You’re okay,” And it sets int hat Tony’s here, followed him to the library and now holding him through an panic and James loves him and he’s about to lose him.

“I’m sorry,” he says, now that his heartbeat has slowed, replaced by dread. He knows Tony’s here because he wants to let him down easy.

“So, I was coming back to the room to tell you I’m not dating Steve,” Tony says, but he’s holding him, properly holding him around the middle and it’s selfish but James _wants_ it, feels so nice to have Tony speaking into his hair like he’s never going to let him go.

He’s not dating Steve.

“You’re not dating Steve.”

“No,” Tony says, tipping up James’ head to meet his eyes, and he loves looking at Tony, “He said it was obvious I liked someone else.”

Hope wells in his chest. Tony’s looking at him like he always does and maybe he has a _chance._

“It matters what you want,” and now Tony’s whispering, “And I fuck shit up all the _time_ Rhodey, I’m a fucking disaster with a million problems to boot and you’re fucking incredible and-“ He goes to interrupt, but Tony doesn’t let him.

“And I love you, Rhodey. Enough that everyone can tell, enough that everyone around me keeps lecturing me to ask you out-“

Then he does the unimaginable- kisses Tony, smiling bright and good and _warm,_ and James loves him so much.

He tastes like mint and peach and warmth and _goodness_ and he wants it, wanted it for ages, doesn’t know how he almost let _Steve_ have this. It’s his.

“You’re mine.”

“Your what?” Tony says, when they’ve pulled back, like he’s said the funniest thing in the world, and he is the _best_ thing and so he pecks him again just because he can.

“You’re everything,”

And they kiss for a good 10 minutes, alone and sweet and the best thing that ever happened to him, just like all of Tony is, and he doesn’t even mind when the librarian interrupts them.

 


End file.
